Next-generation tool for building apps puts enterprise mobility in reach of all users and processes
Companies understand that enterprise mobility is a critical element in becoming more agile, competitive organizations where people can be productive and responsive to customers anywhere, anytime. Mobility is also a key factor in achieving better outcomes, faster, from your ERP and other systems.
In recent years, STAEDEAN has helped businesses take giant strides in advanced mobility with its Anywhere Online framework and a portfolio of mobile apps for important business processes. With the new release of Mobility Studio, called STAEDEAN Dynamics Anywhere Mobility Studio for Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Enterprise Edition, we make it easier to create and publish mobile apps for any process in Microsoft Dynamics 365.
We designed the new Mobility Studio to make building and publishing mobile apps more efficient and help you create mobile apps that enable companies to pursue their digital transformation. Today, we take a closer look at solution features that make it easier to realize turnkey enterprise mobility.
Each time you create a mobile process, development can become more efficient
We often discuss Mobility Studio as a library-based utility. In the context of the solution, a library is code that enables Mobility Studio to connect to the logic of Microsoft Dynamics 365. A developer creates a library using X++ source code. Once you deploy a library as an asset in Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services, it becomes accessible for Mobility Studio.
You can reuse libraries as often as you like in new apps you create. Over time, as you build and repurpose your libraries, creating new mobile solutions turns into more and more of a configuration task driven by process needs. You can progressively reduce the time and effort it takes to enable enterprise mobility.
Functional consultants and analysts can advance mobility
Other factors also contribute to dramatic efficiencies and time savings in creating mobile apps. For example, setting up a new library is really the one instance when a developer has to get involved. Outside of that, developers, business analysts, or functional consultants can realize new mobile apps in two steps we usually call design and connect. This works the same for any process in Dynamics 365.
A consultant or analyst can simply design and configure new mobile pages, processes, and mobile apps, and publish them to Mobility Studio through Lifecycle Services. The consultant or analyst can use Mobility Studio already in the requirements analysis stage to give shape to the app’s user interface and submit it to the customer for review and approval.
Understanding the differences between app building tools
If you use the Microsoft Mobile Framework in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Enterprise Edition, much of the time your task will be more complex. More steps are involved when you need to provide anything beyond very simple mobile workspaces, which a developer, consultant, or analyst can set up and publish.
However, if enterprise mobility requires incorporating additional logic, supporting more complex processes, or customizing your apps, functional consultants and analysts will be out of their depth. Developer skills are necessary to take the additional three, preliminary steps of creating AX pages, building the logic behind them, and linking them to the mobility logic.
Certain restrictions may also affect your work when you use the Microsoft solution. For one thing, the interactions between mobile capabilities and Dynamics modules can be tricky, and it’s not always possible for mobile functionality to access Dynamics processes in every module. Your app might have to incorporate distinct logic to work with various modules in Dynamics 365. In addition, only the most recent devices with a current operating system can access the mobile features you create, a limitation that does not exist with Mobility Studio.
Mobility Studio in this latest iteration shortens the distance between your ideas and goals for enterprise mobility and their realization.
Eric Van Hofwegen
